A Hero's Last Breath
by dancechick307
Summary: Annabeth's perspective on the scene in The Last Olympian when her hero, Luke Castellan, dies to save Olympus. One-shot. Some Percabeth, of course. Rated T just to be safe.


**A/N : **This is the scene from The Last Olympian when Luke Castellan fulfills the prophecy and sacrifices himself, but from Annabeth's perspective. I wrote this at, like, two in the morning and even though I edited, there still might be some mistakes!

So sorry in advance for any verb, grammar, spelling mistakes!

Enjoy!

* * *

**A Hero's Last Breath**

Gods, my whole body felt as though it was on fire.

My bones ached, stinging uncomfortably.

My eyes burned and millions of hot tears gathered in them.

I shook my head, then immediately cringed, any sudden movement hurt so bad.

But strange enough, I didn't pay attention to any of these pains – except for the sound of my heart breaking.

Just to see him so uncontrollable, his body being used by Kronos, and using it to hurt me was the worst kind of pain I'd ever experienced.

I'd try to make the person who I knew was somewhere trapped inside listen to me, but Kronos was too powerful.

Percy had yelled my name, as I had collided into my mother's throne, but now I couldn't make anything out now. It was as though I was suddenly swallowed into darkness.

I could just hope that Percy, that Seaweed Brain, would be okay.

If anything happened to him, I would –

I clear my head of all thoughts because worrying about what may be happening is not going to help anything.

I can faintly make out Grover, a big blur moving towards me. I gasped in pain as I tried to move my arm. My bones were incapable of doing anything, there were limp and yet if I tried to make myself move them a flame scorched through my whole arm.

This pain was almost as bad as holding up the sky._ Almost._

And I had survived holding up the sky, so I would survive this.

Grover had now stopped playing his tune and was knelt down next to me.

"Hey, don't worry," he whispered soothingly. I slowly lifted my arm a bit. As I did, it felt as though something was crushing all the bones in my body. My arm fell limply by my side.

"It's okay, I got you," Grover whispered again. He slowly scooted his arm under my neck, supporting my head. The spot where his skin touched mine burned, but I ignored it.

He began feeding my ambrosia, and after just one spoonful, I already could feel myself healing.

My bones felt more intact to me, as strange as that sounded. My legs only felt sore now, as before they had ached with impossible pain. The ambrosia was working!

My mind was more relaxed and I controlled my thoughts swiftly. I set my mind into battle-mode. Searching around for Percy and Kronos, I found them staring as white smoke conjured up images, like an Iris message, of Fifth Avenue in chaos, and then the Hudson River as the gods tried to stop Typhon.

Thank the Gods, Kelp Head was still alive.

"The Olympians are giving their final effort," Luke laughed. "How pathetic."

_No, he was not Luke anymore!_ I had to remember that Kronos had taken over his body.

The scene suddenly changed, the waters of the Hudson churned with forty-foot waves. Then –then – what was happening?

I tried to concentrate ahead, but I felt exhausted as though I'd used up all my energy.

"Easy there," Grover said looking at me worriedly. He fed me another spoonful of ambrosia. It's magic went into effect instantly. I felt rejuvenated.

"BAH!" Kronos suddenly slashed his sword though the smoke and the images dissolved into the air.

"They're on their way," Percy said. "You've lost."

"I haven't even started."

With that Kronos advanced onto Percy. Grover stepped between the two – I hadn't even realized he had left my side! – But Kronos tossed him sending him crashing into Hera's throne.

_NO!_ I growled inside. He couldn't hurt Grover, and if he as much laid a finger on Percy, I would kill him right then and there.

_Would I?_ My head hurt, it felt like it would explode from thinking even though the rest of my body only felt slightly sore. _Concentrate, Annabeth._

Yes, I'd do anything for Percy._ Anything._ But would I be able to stand up against Luke?

_He wasn't Luke anymore! _A part of me yelled.

No, he wasn't. Hurting me like this was proof enough that the person standing in front of Percy now was not the hero I used to look up to.

But somewhere deep inside, I didn't care that Kronos had taken over, Luke was still fighting for one last chance.

And this is what made me stand up and sprint over to Percy and Kronos with my heart pounding with sadness and something else – hope.

Percy's sword, the Riptide, had just skittered across the ground and fallen straight into a fissure.

"STOP!" I yelled. My throat felt scorched, but I ignored it and trembling I pulled out my dagger, the same exact one Luke had given me years ago.

Kronos swung around, facing me. He slashed viciously with Backbiter, but I was in full battle-mode now. I countered his movement, and caught his strike with my knife hilt. My heart was pounding hard in my chest, so hard that it was sending an ache through my chest, but I stepped in closer and our blades crossed.

For a millisecond I was face-to-face with Kronos searching in his golden eyes for any sign of the person I was desperately hoping was still inside.

"Luke," I replied tightly, trying to keep the tears gathering in my eyes from flowing out. "I understand now. You have to trust me."

I did. I understood that he was too deep inside now. His only hope was of breaking free was destroying Kronos and therefore destroying himself. I knew this was how it had to be. But I had to remind him first; I had to remind he was still there.

Kronos yelled in outrage, "Luke Castellan is dead! His body will burn away as I assume my true form!"

His words wanted to make me cry, but I held back the tears. Crying is showing a sign of emotional weakness, and there was no time for being weak at the moment. I dared a glance over to Percy, but he remained frozen in his spot staring at me as though he'd never seen me before.

I felt a force push against me and I turn to see Kronos trying to dislodge his blade. My hands tremble; I would have never imagined a time when I would be face-to-face battling against Luke.

No, I wasn't battling _against_ him. I was battling _for_ him, desperate to get him out and stop the uncontrollable spirit that had now taken over his mind and body.

"Your mother," I manage to spit out. "She saw your fate."

"Service to Kronos!" He recited loudly. "This is my fate."

_No._ "NO!" I cried. I could feel my eyes water again. _Luke! Listen to me! I'm not giving up on you, not yet. _"That's not the end. The prophecy: she saw what you would do. It applies to you!" _She knew, your mother knew, that you would be the hero one last time._

Kronos yelled something else, but I didn't pay attention. My muscles were crying in pain and sooner or later I would crash. I was running out of time. I knew what had to be done, but I needed help.

Just then, Percy managed to rise slowly but surely. Yes!

While I had been focused on watching Percy, Kronos had loomed over me casting a shadow that I could disappear in. He raised his sword above me.

_No, you can't,_ I want to shake my head at him. No – _NO!_ - I wanted to grab him by the shoulders and shake him until Luke came back.

I feel a single hot tear escape down my face. I clench my hands into fists and finally manage to say something, anything that will bring him back.

"Family, Luke. You promised."

Behind me, I heard Percy take another step forward. I pleaded to Luke with my eyes. I needed him to remember! How could he forget the one promise he made me?

This promise was so precious that it had made me tingle as a little girl and made me hug him tight and love him like a brother. The promise that made me adore him and want nothing bad to ever happen to him because the promise he had made me was so genuine and no one had ever offered me anything as magical as a true family before. And here he was in one slash of his sword about to destroy it.

I wouldn't – _couldn't_- let him do it.

I felt blood trickle down the side of my mouth. And for one moment Kronos staggered. He looked at the knife curled up inside my hands to the blood on my face. "Promise."

He gasped, as though something hit him hard. "Annabeth…" But this one word was spoken in a different voice. The voice that I had been dreaming about, hoping for all this time.

Luke. _Luke!_

He stumbled as though he couldn't control his body. "You're bleeding…"

My heart. It hurt. So bad I was so certain it was going to shatter in a million pieces and make me bleed to death. Just hearing his voice made my head spin uncontrollably. This was it. It was time for the prophecy to be fulfilled.

"My knife." I attempted to raise my dagger, but it stubbornly slid out of my hands. My arm screamed in pain and couldn't move it. I looked for help – Percy!

"Percy, please…" He suddenly sprung to life at the sound of my voice. He moved forward, picking up my knife. In one swift movement, he knocked Luke's sword out of his hands. Luke seemed to ignore it. Instead his eyes were fixed on me. He took a step forward and my heart skipped beat. Did he understand what he had to do? Or had Kronos come back in control?

Percy jumped in between us. His arms outstretched protectively in front of me, blocking Luke. I wanted to push him away, I was too afraid of what he might to do to Percy if Kronos was in control again, but my mouth was dry and I couldn't form any words.

"Don't touch her." My heart fluttered, but I was scared for him, for his words would probably jut make Luke mad.

Kronos growled, "Jackson…" Then he –he started to glow gold. I tried to blink my eyes clear, I was surely going blind. Why was his body glowing?

He gasped again, but it was Luke's voice that spoke, "He's changing. Help. He's…he's almost ready. He won't need my body anymore. Please-"

"NO!" Kronos's voice bellowed. Luke was right; he was still fighting on the inside, but Kronos was gaining an advantage. Kronos stumbled spotting his sword and trying to lunge for it. Percy tried to stop him, but Kronos shoved him with such force that he landed next to my feet, his head hitting Athena's throne.

I wanted to help him, but I stood there frozen like an idiot. I managed to get out a few words. "The knife, Percy," I reminded him hoping he'd understand the decision he'd have to make. "Hero…cursed blade…"

Suddenly Kronos bellowed in pain. He had tried to grab his sword form out of the heath fire. His hands were burnt badly, it made me sick.

"Please, Percy…" Luke was back again. Percy struggled to his feet. Relief washed over to me to no that he hadn't been too badly hurt from hitting my mother's throne.

_Percy!_ I wanted to scream at him. Remember, this is your decision-the one that could destroy or save Olympus. So don't mess up, Seaweed Brain.

Even as I thought this, there was a tiny section of my head laughing at the rest of me. This part of me knew that Percy would do the right thing and save the world. He always did.

I noticed Grover staring nervously watching Percy and running to me at the same time. He put his arms around me, whispering to me, but I cut him off. "Oh, my Gods! I'm so glad you're okay."

My heart felt a little fuller; my closest friends were okay, they were alive. The people who mattered most to me were going to make it. I winced suddenly realizing that one person, however, was not okay, his life was about to end right in front of me.

"Please," Luke pleaded to Percy. "No time."

Percy looked back at me in Grover's arms, his striking sea-green eyes locked with mine for a moment. My heart beat faster and faster and I could feel my body heating up. I knew what was about to come.

He turned back around. Slowly, he handed Luke my dagger. Defenseless, Percy stood before him. He watched Luke and as did I, not able to bear myself to see the moment he sacrificed himself, yet not able to miss a moment.

Then it happened. He stabbed himself. My body trembled and my heart stopped for only a second. Grover's arms tightened around me, stabilizing me as I somehow managed to sit up. My body didn't feel intact with my mind. My thoughts were frozen and yet my body moved without a trouble. Luke screamed. The sound made my head pound.

Something like a cloud of energy surrounded Luke, glowing around him. My eyelids shut close without my mind telling it to. All of a sudden, it was agonizingly silent for what seemed like forever.

I finally opened my eyes. Luke was sprawled on the floor. There was a pile of blackened ash next to him, but my eyes were fixed on him. My eyes found his eyes, open and bright blue, the way they were supposed to be. The left side of him was red, bright red – it was bloody. I gasped and felt pain trickle through me. It hurt to see him so lifeless lying on the ground. With Grover's support, I limped over to him and Percy.

He stared at me and I stared straight back, a lifetime of apologies flowing between us. "You knew. I almost killed you, but you knew…" He was using up too much of his energy to say that.

"Shhh." My voice shook. I tried to blink back my tears, but they came rolling down my face anyway. "You were a hero at the end. You'll go Elysium."

Yes, he would. I was glad to be able to finally picture him in happy place.

He shook his head weakly. "Think…rebirth. Try for three times. Isles of the Blest."

_Whatever you want._ "You always pushed yourself too hard." It made me a little sadder to think of Luke being born into a different life, being apart of a different life that I would not be apart of. But he deserved his chances to get something we both never had – a loving family.

He held up his ruined hand. I reached over and brushed my fingers along his. This couldn't be happening. Luke couldn't be dying. But he was. His skin had felt on fire for the brief moment we touched.

"Did you …" he coughed. "Did you love me?"

I wiped away the tears running down my cheeks. He deserved to know. "There was a time I thought…well, I thought…" my voice trailed on as I snuck a glance at Percy, like I needed reassurance that he wasn't dying too. Seeing him there, breathing and alive, made my heart swell up. All that mattered to me was that he was okay. I realized, staring at him with my eyes wide -with hope? Fear? Sadness?- that he was doing the same, making sure I was by his side safely.

"You were like a brother to me," I replied to him softly. "But I didn't love you." I didn't. My heart hurt to see him in pain or suffering or dying, but that was because of the attachment I felt to him ever since I was little and he had made it a task to protect me.

He nodded, knowing this already. He cringed in pain. My heart hurt.

"We can get ambrosia," Grover said. "We can-"

"Grover," Luke spoke slowly as if each word hurt. "You're the bravest satyr I ever knew. But no. There's no healing…"

He grabbed Percy's sleeve. "Ethan. Me. All the unclaimed. Don't let it…don't let it happen again."

"I won't. I promise."

Luke nodded, and his hand went slack. I felt tears and more tears stream down my face. _Luke!_ I wanted to call back to him, but I knew that was ridiculous. He was gone.

He was gone, but not entirely. He was still in my memories. He had touched my life and left a huge mark, one that I could not forget.

I would remember him as he held my tiny hand in his and marched forward onto monsters.

I would remember him as he hugged me tight and cared for my wounds.

I would remember him as he let me fall asleep with my head on his lap.

I would remember him promising me, a little girl, a family, a real family, one that would love and care for one another til the end.

I would remember him, a hero standing against the risen Titan.

I would remember him, sacrificing his life for ours.

I would remember his last breath and pray for him, wherever he was.

* * *

**A/N : Thanks so much for reading! Reviews are appreciated! I really want to know what you think! :)**


End file.
